W.Va. woman assaulted in woods

SHANGHAI, W.Va. - Police are looking for a man who grabbed a woman along Hampshire Grade Road Wednesday afternoon and forced her into a wooded area.

The 19-year-old Berkeley Springs, W.Va., woman was assaulted during the incident, but police would not explain in detail what happened to her.

The woman had bruises to her legs and arms from the attack, said Capt. Curtis Keller of the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department.

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Keller said the woman was driving from Morgan County to Berkeley County on Hampshire Grade Road about 4:30 p.m. when she noticed a man outside a small reddish car near the entrance to the Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area.

The man was near the road that leads to the preserve's lake, Keller said.

When the woman went by, the man fell, which deputies believe may have been an attempt to trick the woman into stopping. The woman stopped and asked the man if he needed help, said Sgt. Dennis Streets.

The man then grabbed the woman and took her into a wooded area, Streets said.

The man was described as white, with short, straight dark red hair. He is in his mid- to late-30s, about 5-feet 5-inches tall and weighing between 140 and 160 pounds, deputies said. The man also had bright blue eyes, Keller said.

The man was last seen wearing a white, button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the middle of his arms. The car he was driving was rusted in the rear.

Deputies ask anyone who might have witnessed the incident to call the sheriff's department. Several cars passed through the area while the woman was being assaulted, Keller said.

The sheriff's department can be reached at 1-304-267-7000, or information can be turned over to Berkeley County Crime Solvers at 1-304-267-4999.

Before Wednesday's incident, Keller said police have not had any serious problems around the popular Sleepy Creek Wildlife Management Area.